Syria denies reports of extending SDF ceasefire as sources say truce may be prolonged

DAMASCUS

Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) arrive at the Kurdish-held city of Ain al-Arab, also known as Kobane on Jan. 23, 2026, after they withdrew from the Al-Aqtan prison in the Raqa province of Syria.

Syria’s Foreign Ministry denied reports that a four-day ceasefire with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) has been extended, Syrian state television reported on Jan. 24.

A foreign ministry source told state-run Al-Ikhbariyya that claims circulating about an extension were “baseless,” according to the broadcaster.

The denial came as officials and diplomats described continued efforts to keep the truce in place beyond its scheduled expiry on Saturday evening.

A diplomatic source in Damascus told AFP the ceasefire would be extended for up to one month, while a Syrian official said the extension was “likely” partly to allow time to complete the transfer of ISIL detainees from Syria to Iraq.

The truce was agreed on Jan. 20, after government forces advanced into areas long held by the SDF and reinforcements were sent toward Kurdish-held cities in the northeast.

Washington has said it is moving up to 7,000 ISIL detainees from northeastern Syria to Iraqi custody, with 150 transferred in the first stage.

AFP cited Iraqi security officials as saying Europeans were among those initially moved.

The ceasefire is part of a broader track aimed at integrating the Kurds’ de facto administration into the Syrian state as President Ahmad al-Sharaa’s authorities seek to consolidate control after the 2024 ouster of Bashar al-Assad.

U.S. envoy Tom Barrack has said the SDF’s role as the main anti-ISIL force on the ground has “largely expired,” arguing Syria’s position has changed after Damascus joined the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIL.